English Spot

English Spot Breed Information

English Spots are typically a medium sized rabbit, reaching an average weight of 3kg at adulthood. Their coat is short but weekly grooming is recommended to keep the coat in good condition. As a breed, they’re known to be good natured, friendly and inquisitive.

Although historically seen as a child’s pet, rabbits aren’t really suitable for small children. They don’t enjoy being picked up, and have very fragile backs that can break easily if they’re dropped. For this reason, they’re better suited to families with older children who can spend time with them, creating a large, natural environment for their rabbits to enjoy which will allow them to express normal behaviours such as digging, binkying, and running.

It’s important to also remember that rabbits are highly social animals, and in the wild are used to living in large groups with a vast living area. Where possible, this needs to be recreated for our domestic bunnies, and living with a suitable companion has to be at the top of this list. We recommend homing rabbits in compatible pairs, for example, a neutered male with a neutered female.

Possible health problems:

All rabbits are at risk of developing painful dental disease if they are not fed on the correct diet. A rabbits’ daily diet should consist of:

Other conditions that can affect rabbits include:

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease – a viral disease, causing anorexia, fever, exhaustion and quite often fatal, this disease can be prevented through regular vaccination.

Myxomatosis – a viral disease, causing puffy eyelids, pus-producing conjunctivitis, swelling over the body and usually fatal, this disease can be prevented through regular vaccination.

Flystrike – caused by flies laying their eggs on dirty fur, the eggs hatch into maggots which eat into the flesh and can kill a rabbit in a few hours. Make sure your rabbit stays clean; if your rabbit can’t groom properly, they’re more likely to get dirty around the back end and become susceptible to flystrike. Check under the tail every day in the summer, when they’re more prone to maggot infestations.

Encephalitozoon Cuniculi (E. cuniculi) – a parasite which can infect rabbits and cause significant disease. Symptoms can include a head tilt, unsteadiness and weakness of the hindlegs, neck spasm and urinary incontinence.

Estimated cost over lifetime:

This does not include initial purchase cost, non-essential items (such as holiday care) or potential veterinary treatment of which an excess needs to be paid before your pet may be covered by pet insurance.

Please be aware that we recommend rabbits are kept in pairs as they are highly social animals, so this will double the estimated costs.

Not sure if the English Spot is the right pet for you?

ABOUT PDSA

Founded in 1917 by animal welfare pioneer, Maria Dickin CBE, PDSA is the UK’s leading veterinary charity. Operating through a UK-wide network of 48 Pet Hospitals, PDSA provides low cost and free veterinary care to the sick and injured pets of people in need and promotes responsible pet ownership